Blog Layout
What do private investigators get hired for?
Grant White • Sep 18, 2021
Private investigators get hired for a variety of motivations and reasons.
Many people ask:
"What do private investigators get hired for?" So, we've compiled a list:
What do private investigators get hired for?
2. Finding addresses.
3. Finding someone.
4. Verifying information.
5. Gathering intelligence for further action.
However, this is not an exhaustive list of what a private investigator can do. There are many different applications and benefits of hiring a private investigator.
Here are some of the benefits of hiring a private investigator:
2. Save time - Time is money; private investigators investigate for a living, they can do the job quickly, professionally, and accurately getting the best results.
The term 'Private Investigator is not that specific', but rather an umbrella term for people that act in the area of investigation - each with varying skill-sets and specialisations.
Here are some of he common skill-sets a private investigator may specialise in.
2. Business intelligence.
3. Surveillance.
4. Social engineering.
5. Tracing.
6. Fraud.
7. Background checks.
8. Employee absenteeism.
9. Property.
10. Company checks.
Sometimes private investigators are picking up the pieces of a previous investigation, and can include many of these above listed investigations in one case.
A trained Private Investigator with years of experience reveals the 3 things you must know about Open Source Intelligence in the context of Private Investigations.
How do Private Investigators find the information you are looking for? A detective working with Operant Investigators gives details on how OSINT provides significant data points for investigators.
To understand investigations you must understand OSINT, to understand it you need to know the 5 reasons why it is critical. All Private Investigators use it, this is why.
What types of overt photography do Private Investigators engage in and what equipment do they use?
A common problem all agents encounter, especially so in cities is the problem of parking. A good parking location for a vehicle is essential in ensuring line of sight (LOS) and gathering recordings behind tint or disguised. Now you may be thinking, you would solve this problem through foot surveillance. This isn't always helpful, residential areas may not have many people on foot nearby, there may be nowhere to sit or bled in and a host of other reasons may want your bottom firmly planted in a car seat for this one. So you arrive or even better, as part of a recce (reconnaissance) or planning, you notice a parking problem. I find it helpful to break up the different problems into categories, I will list the types of scenarios. 2 Primary types of areas Urban - City or Town Rural - Villages, farms, greenery or forests Primary types of problems No LOS - Cannot observe the property or points of egress LOS but too distant - Cannot record of observe with any accuracy or with the level of responsiveness needed LOS but blocked - Your vision is obstructed temporarily Too close - The risk of exposure is too high and no places further away are available Primary causes of problems Temporary blockage by vehicle - A behemoth has just parked in your LOS Double yellow lines - No parking here Single yellow lines - Restricted at certain times, they will always be the times you need to be their All spaces are in use - The most frequent issue Moved too many times already - You've been moving around frequently and are reaching a point where further movement between spaces will compromise the surveillance A mixture - A mix of the above It is incredibly frustrating when your turn up to perform your surveillance and have nowhere to park. You know the client will not be happy and your stuck in a tough spot. Parking for private investigators is an essential part of the work and for some cases is strictly required to ensure good results.
Who is able to hire a Private Investigator in the UK? Is it legal?
Can a Private Investigator access whatsapp messages? Can they see your private messages?
How much does a Private Investigator charges for their services, what kind of fees can you expect and what will the cost be?
The penal code review in France which made Private Investigator use in civil proceedings legal.
One of the most frequently asked questions is "Can a private investigator access my Instagram in the UK?". Accessing a Facebook account through a login and password procedure without permission from the account owner is clear. No, we cannot. A Facebook account is accessed through a login and password, which if accessed by a private investigator would be ILLEGAL under UK law. However, there are a few things you should bear in mind. Social media is by nature open, with the ability to share your most intimate moments whenever and wherever you are. However, if you are the subject of an investigation, skilled private investigators will use the inherent openness of this data to their advantage. The question of whether a private investigator can access your account through a login and password procedure is clear. No, we cannot. An Instagram account is accessed through a login and password, which if accessed by a private investigator would be ILLEGAL under UK law. At least without the account owners permission, which is highly unlikely to be granted if they are the subject of the investigation. However, a private investigator has many ways to access media posted a non-private Instagram account such as pictures, videos, stories, comments, followers, followers and more. To protect yourself, you may want to pay closer attention to what you post, while configuring your account settings for suitable privacy. Skilled investigators can take information from social media to pivot and find further details about the subject. This can be information from photographs, hashtags, statements, followers and other information. Utilising this effectively is what separates good investigators from great investigators as these types of profiles reveal a lot more then it seems on the face of it. You can see our video for an example of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) which is commonly used by UK private investigators. Instagram is one small part of OSINT and can be critical in gaining further insights into the persons history, behaviour, friendship groups, finances, lifestyles and more. Operant Investigators are a professional UK investigation service who utilise Instagram and open source intelligence in our investigations for our clients.